Congratulations to the many 2012 graduates of the Jacobs School

The IU Jacobs School extends a hearty congratulations to the many May 2012 graduates! We wish you well as you join an elite group of over 14,000 Jacobs School of Music alumni, including some of the most famous and respected artists in the world. Click here for a photo of graduating students on the Musical Arts Center stage. Click here for graduation day photos.

An Auspicious Occasion: Words by Booker T Jones

Legendary soul musician Booker T Jones, a Jacobs School alumnus, was a speaker at the 183rd Indiana University commencement ceremony, May 5, and received an honorary doctorate from the school. Read his remarks to the students who graduated this year. The entire event can be viewed here.

Pressler, Abbado, complete Beethoven string quartets highlight Jacobs Summer Music series

As part of Indiana University’s second annual Summer Festival of the Arts, the Jacobs School of Music has assembled a Summer Music series of more than 40 free and ticketed events from June 13 through July 27. In all, the series offers an array of world-class concerts featuring orchestra, chamber music, piano, band, percussion, opera, jazz and other special events.

Jacobs School of Music acquires significant pipe organ for Alumni Hall

Just two years following the installation of a major pipe organ in Auer Hall on Indiana University’s Bloomington campus, the Jacobs School of Music has announced the acquisition of a second major instrument built by C.B. Fisk, America’s leading organ builder.

Professor Simpson and alumnus Cooper garner regional Emmy nominations

Voice professor Marietta Simpson and alumnus guitarist Tyron Cooper have been nominated for regional Emmy Awards for their roles in “Musical Threads: Expressions of a People” and “Open Door: China in Indiana,” two television programs produced by WFYI, the PBS affiliate in Indianapolis.

Perantoni named Provost Professor

Daniel Perantoni, professor of tuba, has been named an IU Provost Professor. The designation recognizes faculty who have achieved local, national and international distinction in both teaching and research.

Georgina Joshi Graduate Fellowship awarded to soprano Jessica Beebe

Following the final round of performances by some of the top singers in the Jacobs School of Music, the 2012 Georgina Joshi Graduate Fellowship was awarded to soprano Jessica Beebe, a graduate student of Costanza Cuccaro and Paul Elliott.

2012-13 Jacobs School Kuttner Quartet announced

The Jacobs School of Music is pleased to announce that the student Donatello String Quartet has been named the school’s Kuttner Quartet for the 2012-13 academic year. The quartet’s members–Borislava Iltcheva, violin; Jeremy Gabbert, violin; Laurent Grillet, viola; and Josue Valdepeñas, cello–have been performing together as an ensemble since 2010.

Composition Awards announced

The faculty of the Composition Department is pleased to announce the results of the 2012 Dean’s Prize Composition Competition, the 2012 Georgina Joshi Composition Commission Award and the 2012 Mrs. Hong Pham Memorial Recognition Awards for New Music Performance.

Project Jumpstart announces winners of the first annual Project Jumpstart Video Competition and Essay Contest

Project Jumpstart, the music entrepreneurship and career development initiative at Jacobs School, announced two music entrepreneurship competitions during spring semester 2012. The first annual Project Jumpstart Essay Contest and Video Competition were designed by the Project Jumpstart student team and were open to students at Jacobs enrolled during the 2012 spring semester.

Additional Upcoming Events

A full calendar of events will resume when our Summer Music series — including the Afiara, Cecilia, Penderecki, and Shanghai Quartets performing Beethoven’s entire string quartet cycle — begins June 13. For a complete event listing, click here!

Faculty, Student, and Alumni News Updates

The most recent updates include Professor Don Freund’sThe Well-Tempered Clavier CD and DVD release, Associate Professor Thomas Robertello’s recent tour of China, students Natalie Salzman and Evan Chapman in YouTube hit, and much more!

IU Opera and Ballet Theater announces 2012-13 Season

Three new productions and a collection of classics, including a reprise of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” will take the stage at Bloomington’s Musical Arts Center during the 2012-13 Indiana University Opera and Ballet Theater season. Representing the 64th season of the world’s leading collegiate opera and ballet company, the six operas and three ballets will be artistically led by IU Jacobs School of Music faculty and a number of guest artists.

Jacobs School of Music receives $1.9 million gift in support of Jazz Studies Department

A $1.9 million gift has been made to the Jacobs School of Music Jazz Studies Department by the estate of Anne and Paul Plummer. A tenor saxophonist, Paul Plummer was a close friend of Distinguished Professor David N. Baker. Enjoy a video interview about the gift with Professor Baker!

Booker T Jones, U.S. Ambassador David L. Carden to serve as IU Bloomington commencement speakers

Legendary soul musician Booker T Jones and David L. Carden, the United States’ first resident ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, will be commencement speakers at IU Bloomington commencement ceremonies next month. Both Jones and Carden are IU alumni.

2012 IU Presidential Concert, ‘Jazz Celebration,’ to feature alumnus Randy Brecker and other jazz greats

In partnership with the Indiana University Office of the President, Michael A. McRobbie, the Jacobs School of Music will present “Jazz Celebration” on April 21 in the Musical Arts Center–a star-studded concert featuring four internationally recognized alumni and a host of ensembles. The highlight of the evening will be a quartet performance by renowned alumni guest artists Randy Brecker, trumpet; Alan Pasqua, piano; Robert Hurst, bass; and Peter Erskine, drums. Enjoy a video interview with Tom Walsh about the upcoming concert >

Ballet at the BCT’ to present new choreography from IU Ballet Department

As its final production of the season, the Jacobs School of Music Ballet Department presents the annual “Ballet at the BCT: The Choreography Project” April 18-19 at 7:30 p.m. at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater in downtown Bloomington. Like many Jacobs School events, the performances are free and open to the public.

European Union Youth Orchestra communicates through music at IU Auditorium

The European Union Youth Orchestra, an ensemble of Europe’s finest young musicians, will give its Bloomington debut concert at IU Auditorium at 7 p.m. Sunday, April 22. Founded in 1976, the 116-member orchestra is the only cultural project to include musicians from all 27 European Union member countries, a symbol of European harmony and future hope. Mark Kaplan, Jacobs professor of violin, will perform as soloist with the ensemble.

Jacobs professor Schwartzkopf, veteran Singing Hoosiers director, receives IU’s Distinguished Service Medal

Jacobs professor Michael Schwartzkopf has received Indiana University’s Distinguished Service Medal from President Michael A. McRobbie, presented during a March 31 farewell concert with the Singing Hoosiers. Schwartzkopf, who has led IU’s “ambassadors of song” for the past 17 years, will retire from the university in May.

Jacobs Scholar Katie Minion wins national competition for organists

Congratulations to undergraduate Jacobs Scholar Katie Minion, winner of the Arthur Poister Scholarship Competition in Organ Playing, a prestigious national competition for organists under the age of 30. Minion is a student of Professor Janette Fishell, chair of the Jacobs School Organ Department.

JSoM student guitarist Stevan Jovic places 1st in 2012 IDEA Competition

On April 6, the Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation (IU Kelley School of Business) sponsored the 2012 IDEA Competition. Stevan Jovic, a Performer Diploma guitarist and student of Ernesto Bitetti, took first place in the competition, claiming a $3,000 cash prize for his invention, Practice-Right.

Additional Upcoming Events

Free events to enjoy in the next week include the Latin American Popular Music Ensemble tonight, Hammer and Nail Contemporary Dance tomorrow and Saturday, the Concert Orchestra and Vocal Jazz Ensemble on Sunday, and three Opera Workshop performances next week. For a complete event listing, click here!

Faculty, Student, and Alumni News Updates

The most recent updates include news from the studio of Eli Eban, students Caroline Weeks and Jeremy Shih being profiled in USA Today, alumnus Bernard Gordillo in Nicaragua, and much more!

Singing Hoosiers Spring Concert at IU Auditorium a farewell for director Michael Schwartzkopf

In a farewell concert for its retiring music director, Professor Michael Schwartzkopf, the Singing Hoosiers—widely considered one of the finest collegiate show choirs in the United States—will present its annual spring concert at 8 p.m. March 31 at IU Auditorium.

In season finale, IU Opera presents unique take on Bernstein’s ‘Candide’

How do you engage audiences in an operetta based on a satirical novella written in the 1700s by a French philosopher, where the hero takes fantastic journeys and sometimes visits with dead people? That’s the question guest director Candace Evans used to guide her work with “Candide,” the final production in IU Opera Theater’s 2011-12 season. The show opens at 8 p.m. April 6 in the Musical Arts Center.

Distinguished Professor Menahem Pressler to receive prize from queen of Spain

Distinguished Professor Menahem Pressler, world-renowned pianist and faculty member at the Jacobs School, will be awarded the 2012 Yehudi Menuhin Prize for the Integration of the Arts and Education by Queen Sofia of Spain during a June 12 ceremony at the Palacio Real de El Pardo in Madrid.

2012 IU Presidential Concert, ‘Jazz Celebration,’ to feature alumnus Randy Brecker and other jazz greats

In partnership with the Indiana University Office of the President, Michael A. McRobbie, the Jacobs School of Music will present “Jazz Celebration” on April 21 in the Musical Arts Center–a star-studded concert featuring four internationally recognized alumni and a host of ensembles. The highlight of the evening will be a quartet performance by renowned alumni guest artists Randy Brecker, trumpet; Alan Pasqua, piano; Robert Hurst, bass; and Peter Erskine, drums.

Annual ArtsWeek Everywhere, celebrating arts on IU campus and in community, kicks off April 1

ArtsWeek Everywhere, the annual celebration highlighting arts on the Indiana University campus and in the greater Bloomington community, kicks off April 1. AWE 2012 places a special focus on IU students, whose creative energy and passion for the arts shape life in Bloomington, both on and off campus.

Additional Upcoming Events

In addition to the Singing Hoosiers Spring Concert, events to enjoy this weekend include faculty composer Don Freund and the U.S. Army Band Woodwind Quintet recitals Friday night, and the Tozzi Memorial and faculty member Petar Jankovic with his ensemble on Saturday. For a complete event listing, click here!

Faculty, Student, and Alumni News Updates

The most recent updates include Distinguished Professor David Baker receiving an honorary doctorate from DePauw University, three clarinet students—Ashley Booher, Wei-Ling Chuang, and Michelle Goddard —winning positions with international orchestras, and much more!

Musicologist Michael Long appointed to Jacobs School faculty

An award-winning musicologist with research interests that span the worlds of medieval and contemporary culture, Michael Long, has been appointed as a faculty member at the Jacobs School of Music. He will join the school in the fall of 2012.

Teresa Kubiak receives major Polish award

Congratulations to Jacobs professor Teresa Kubiak, who was awarded the Medal Fides Et Ratio (Medal of Faith and Reason) by the Warsaw University Association, Warsaw, Poland. The award—in recognition of artistic achievements, the celebration of Poland, and the promotion of good and beauty in the world—was given by the Reverend Cardinal Joseph Glemp at the Warsaw Arch Cathedral on March 11.

Graduate Mike Flynn promoted to VP of artists and repertoire at Epic Records

Mike Flynn, a 1996 graduate of the Jacobs Recording Arts Department, has been appointed executive vice president of artists and repertoire (A&R) and staff producer for Epic Records, where he will sign, develop and produce new artists while overseeing artist development and key aspects of the recording process.

Jacobs students excel in local NSAL competition

Jacobs School of Music students received numerous awards in the Bloomington Chapter of the 2012 National Society of Arts and Letters (NSAL) voice, instrumental and ballet competitions recently held at the school. The top two winners in each category will perform at the NSAL 46th Annual Showcase of the Arts on Sunday, April 15, at 2 p.m. in the Ivy Tech John Waldron Arts Center auditorium. The program is free and open to the public.

Project Jumpstart presents composer and entrepreneurship specialist Jeffrey Nytch in mini-residency

Project Jumpstart, the music entrepreneurship and career development initiative at the Jacobs School, will present composer, performer and educator Jeffrey Nytch on March 22 and 23 in two workshop events exploring music’s evolving role in modern culture. The events are open to the public and free of charge, and will be held at the school.

Additional Upcoming Events

In addition to The Sleeping Beauty, events to enjoy this weekend include a chamber music recital by the Early Music Institute, and the faculty Woodwind Chamber Music recital on Saturday, as well as performances by guests Kristen Wolfe Jensen, bassoon, and Colette Valentine, piano; faculty Nigel North, Baroque lute; and the Brass Choir, directed by Edmund Cord, on Sunday. For a complete event listing, click here!

Faculty, Student, and Alumni News Updates

The most recent updates include Distinguished Professor Violette Verdy in residence at the Paris Opera Ballet, Professor Glenn Gass being inducted as a provost professor, student Josh Johnson being selected for the Thelonious Monk Institute, and much more!

World-renowned Pacifica Quartet appointed quartet-in-residence at IU Jacobs School of Music

The Grammy Award-winning Pacifica Quartet, one of the leading chamber music ensembles worldwide, has been appointed quartet-in-residence at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. The four members of the ensemble — Simin Ganatra and Sibbi Bernhardsson, violin; Masumi Per Rostad, viola; and Brandon Vamos, cello — will join the school’s full-time faculty, beginning in fall 2012.

IU Ballet Theater casts multiple dancers in lead roles for ‘The Sleeping Beauty’

In its first full-length production since 2005, Indiana University Ballet Theater will present The Sleeping Beauty March 23 and 24 at the Musical Arts Center, 101 N. Jordan Ave. With a mix of original and updated choreography set to Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s classic score, the new production is sure to cast a spell on audience members — and is sure to be different with each viewing. All performances will be live-streamed through IUMusicLive!

Singing Hoosiers spring concert at IU Auditorium a farewell for director Michael Schwartzkopf

In a farewell concert for its retiring music director, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music professor Michael Schwartzkopf, the Singing Hoosiers — widely considered one of the finest collegiate show choirs in the United States — will present its annual spring concert at 8 p.m. March 31 at IU Auditorium.

‘Make Your Own Kind of Music’ — WTIU debuts documentary on Singing Hoosiers

Long before “Glee” came … the Singing Hoosiers. A new documentary on the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music’s 100-member show choir premiered on WTIU on March 5 and 9. The video can also be viewed here.

Jacobs School students use spring break to travel to the Royal College of Music for study

In a novel twist to their spring break, three Jacobs School of Music singers — Jessica Beebe (master’s student in Early Music and voice), Olivia Savage (Performance Diploma student in voice) and Michael Porter (master’s student in voice) — will travel to London’s Royal College of Music for an intensive week of study during the final preparations for Handel’s opera Riccardo Primo.

Additional Upcoming Events

Free events to look forward to after Spring Break include the IU Trombone Quartet March 19, the Jazz Combo recital March 20, faculty pianist Jean-Louis Haguenauer and guest cellist Marc Coppey in recital March 21, and faculty organist Janette Fishell March 22. For a complete event listing, click here!

Faculty, Student, and Alumni News Updates

The most recent updates include Professor Carmen Helena Téllez being invited to conduct the Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra, a review of faculty guitarist Petar Jankovic’s newest CD, alumnus trombonist John Yao’s debut CD, and much more!